Also called: Digester Operator, Recovery Boiler Operator, Bleach Plant Operator
Runs the giant pressure cookers and chemical systems that turn wood chips into pulp for paper and packaging.
From the control room you cook tons of wood chips with chemicals in a digester taller than a house. You also run the recovery boiler that burns leftover chemicals to make steam and power. Pulp mills are some of the most complex factories around.
Estimated.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. High school plus years of on-the-job training; a boiler license for some roles.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Certification. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Pulp & Paper Technology, Process Technology.
Growing slowly. Slowly shrinking.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Advanced controls run more of the process; operators still do rounds and handle chemical upsets.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply at pulp and paper mills or through a staffing agency; new hires are trained on the job
Classes: Chemistry, Algebra II.
Official data: O*NET occupation 51-8091.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.